


melancholy sighs

by Machetonim



Category: Oxenfree (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Drabbles, Gen, I Don't Even Know, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Mild Blood, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Canon, Sibling Bonding, but more like post-game?, i think this is gonna be pretty chill, kind of, not much though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:41:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29393529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Machetonim/pseuds/Machetonim
Summary: sometime after
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. 8 hours of sleep per night is important for the body

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. I have tried sO HArD to make content for this fandom. Fanfics, fanart, poetry, an animatic at some point, etc. Hated. Every. Single. One.  
> So I decided to put all my not-embarrassing-to-think-about failed attempts on here. I think they're cool concepts, but I wasn't really able to take it anywhere - enough for me to turn it to a real fic, at least. It's basically a bunch of loosely connected drabbles, if you will.

Alex has had bags under her eyes for a while now. For months and months and years (they don't have years), every time. She frets over Michael, worries for him; all her attention is on him. And she knows everything restarts. Of course, she knows, she has the radio. Somewhere.

But she does it anyway - even when none of it really matters (even when he'll just die again).

_Sigh._

Clarissa is much better at hiding her hurt when she sees him. She's better than in the other loops this time around. More expressive, less cruel. But she's delicate. She says she remembers bits and pieces. Only snippets, but the worst of them (like how it felt when she jumped out of that window). She has a strong face, like the other times, but she looks ready to break. Every phone call makes her jump.

Kind of like how the static scares him.

(he

 **he can't breathe.** )

And that really all Jonas can think about when he looks at Michael's face. Alex and Clarissa, with their cloudy faces and misty smiles.

But mostly that he's never going to _be_ that. He's never going to be _anything_ , with Michael around.

(and that hurts a little.) 

It's dark out. The sun isn't anywhere in sight, but Jonas can tell the sky is more of a dark blue than the swirling black it was a few hours before.

Michael doesn't notice Jonas standing over him until he sits on the log beside him. When he does turn to look, he makes a small noise that quickly dies out.

**we didn't want to die**

_I didn't want to die._

Michael's face crumples. But his expression is still impossible to distinguish. It's always so hard to tell what the fucker's thinking.

A faint tune can be heard from somewhere. He doesn't recognize it, but it sounds like something his dad would listen to.

Neither of them says anything. Michael eventually falls asleep on his shoulder, and Jonas lights a cigarette. Smoke falls from his lips as the clouds turn cotton candy pink.


	2. when a bubbly boy dies high

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure where the first scene comes into the second scene, but they're both of Ren dying, so I don't see the point in giving them separate chapters.

He can't move. He tries and tries, and the most he can do is make his hands twitch. A metallic smell fills his nose. His body jolted with unbearable pain, dulling quickly after.

He lays in a pool of blood. The color stains his skin.

Water drips from his hair into his eyes, and he tries to blink it away, but it doesn't do any good.

Colors begin to swirl, and he catches a glimpse of bright blue.

Black pricks at his vision, and eventually, it takes over.

He doesn't close his eyes once.

Thunder rumbles loudly, and a split-second later, lightning flashes. It illuminates the rushing dark water before the area darkens again. Only road lights on the bridge above shine down.

The sound of rain falling harshly on the ground roars in Jonas's ears. Alex doesn't move. Doesn't even make a sound. Jonas can't tell if she's even breathing. She only stares at the crumpled body in front of them, blood pooling everywhere.

Nona shivers as she speaks. "He. . . took a fall. I- I couldn't--"

His big brown eyes, filled with life and hope, were empty now--half-lidded, dull, and slicing straight through them.

He hears thunderclap, hard and loud. Nona, a sobbing, hiccupping mess, gasps at the noise.

Jonas can't take it. He abruptly looks away from Ren and stumbles over to a nearby tree. He retches and liquid _splats_ on the ground. The noise is disgusting, but he can barely hear it over the rain.

The water soaks into Alex's jacket, and her hair plasters to her forehead. Rain drips down her face, and finally,  _ finally _ , she does something. Noise erupts from her throat, and her mouth falls open.

she screams

she's screaming

she won't stop-


	3. this is not a coffee shop au. but i guess it could be?

He doesn't believe what he's seeing. There weren't many believable things going on all night, sure, but this... Michael didn't know what to say to this.

Most of his- his  _ time jumps _ were of small moments with Alex. They'd goof off and talk about dumb stuff like siblings do. Sometimes Ren comes over, and they watch movies.

Now, he's in a café. Light browns and dark browns and the occasional green blur together. Conversation and yelled orders become background noise, and Michael feels lightheaded. The edges of his vision are faded, and small details he wouldn't notice otherwise are wonky. There's a photograph of coffee beans nearby, but they don't look like coffee beans. Sure, they're coffee beans, but he doesn't know how he knows that. It's hard to explain. Nothing's...  _ wrong _ necessarily... just out of place.

Like those two people over there.

Jonas is nearby, sitting on a couch with a laptop, sipping from a paper cup. Books and papers are scattered across a table in front of him.

This could be another alternate universe Michael's peaking into. The thing is, nothing about this Jonas is different from the Jonas in Michael's timeline. He has the same jacket, same necklace, and he's still wearing that stupid hat he refuses to take off.

Alex is next to him. Her limbs are sprawled on the couch next to Jonas, looking  _ very _ bored. Alex, who's wearing Michael's jacket. Alex, who isn't dead. Alex, who just stole Jonas's beanie.

His dead sister who  _ drowned _ is now laughing, and out-of-breath, and _very_ alive. She lifts her hand high into the air, away from his shrieking, fresh-as-a-daisy stepbrother as if they've known each other for years. As if this is all completely normal.

Michael almost passes out right there.

Jonas takes notice of Michael standing there and waves. Alex looks over and smiles. Without really thinking about it, Michael waves back.


End file.
